


A Meds Run

by AnselaJonla



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Five is Sarcastic, Gen, Gender-Neutral Runner Five, Mission Fic, simon is simon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 15:47:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21018275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnselaJonla/pseuds/AnselaJonla
Summary: It's cold season, and most of Abel has been struck down with a doozy of a cold. Simon and Five are sent to fetch some meds to make everyone's suffering a bit more bearable.





	A Meds Run

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah. Guess who has an absolutely stinker of a cold right now. Yep, me. But I'm not letting it keep me from going to work, and Five won't let it interfere with missions.

“Wow, Five, you look _rough _,” were the first words out of Simon’s mouth when he entered the Runners’ prep room. His sharp eyes assessed the newer Runner, looking for any sign of what was wrong.

“And hello to you too,” Five muttered back sarcastically, wincing at how raspily it came out. Simon groaned.

“You’ve got it too? First Jody got laid up, then Sara, then _ Janine_, and now you’re coming down with the same bloody bug?”

_ ‘And that is precisely why this mission is so urgent,’ _ Sam chimed in over their comms. _ ‘This cold has spread through Abel like wildfire, and the Runners have been hit pretty badly.’ _

“Is that why Five is coming, despite really, really not being fit for anything right now?”

“I’m fine,” Five retorted. Simon raised an eyebrow.

“You’re already flushed, you can barely speak, and your nose is starting to make a puddle with how much it’s dripping.”

_ ‘Sorry, Three. Five is fit enough for this supply run, as long as you’re quick. I offered to go myself, but Maxine, Janine _ and _ Seven all pretty much ordered me not to leave the comms shack. Maxine’s even bringing food to me and leaving it outside the door.’ _

“Translation: you’ve accidentally quarantined yourself in there, and that’s why you sound so perky.”

_ ‘Pretty much. Anyway, you two are going to a couple of pharmacies and a Sainsbury’s local in the New Zealand part of the city. We know they’re intact because Seven scouted that area a couple of days ago. Your first target is off Slack Lane. You know where that is, Three?’ _

“Yep. Follow me, Five. Let Uncle Simon show you around.”

_ ‘That’s not creepy at all,’ _ Sam muttered.

\--

Five and Simon crouched by what used to be a garden wall, but was now just an obstacle in a sea of grass, weeds, and bushes. A small pack of zoms lurched a few metres away. It was both good and bad luck that they were downwind of the undead; good because it meant the zoms weren’t going to smell them, bad because zoms _smell_.

Simon glanced over at Five. The cold-ridden Runner’s face was contorted, and Simon resisted the urge to groan. The first thing Five had done on finding a bottle of cough suppressant was down a good-sized swig of it, which had solved the problem of the incessant coughing. Unfortunately it hadn’t stopped the truly epic sneezing fits that had wracked Five’s body since about an hour after they left Abel.

And what they _really _ didn’t need was for one of those to start. For one thing they were loud. Simon was pretty certain he’d heard quieter plane engines, and Sam had insisted on muting Five’s mic for the sake of his own hearing. And they were full body sneezes, that Five just couldn’t run through.

If Five started sneezing now, Simon wouldn’t be able to help. He’d _ have _ to scarper. They’d diligently split the medicines between them, ensuring that each Runner had an equal share of everything they’d found. And Abel needed the remedies he was carrying more than it needed Five. He wasn’t carrying the _ cure _ for the common cold, just the stuff that made it possible to live with one.

Five was the first to move, suddenly standing and running in the opposite direction to the zoms. With a quick glance at the pack (_too close, turning_) Simon followed. Five seemed to be going like the hounds of hell were pursuing, and Simon was hard-pressed to follow. The overgrown gardens and narrow ginnels of the terraced inner city estate were a nightmare to try and keep up with someone in, and he lost sight of Five.

But not sound. He followed the sneezing into a ginnel. Five was slumped against the wall, barely visible in the darkness. Simon closed the door behind him, although it was too flimsy to provide any protection, and sat next to Five.

“I couldn’t hold it any longer,” Five muttered after a few minutes. Simon could barely hear the Runner’s voice. “I nearly got us killed.”

“I’m the one who nearly led us right into them,” Simon offered. He wasn’t going to let Five take the blame for something he was partially responsible for. He stood and offered Five a hand up. “Let’s see if _ this _ ginnel leads to a road I recognise.”

“‘I know a shortcut,’ he said.” Even almost voiceless, Five was sarcastic.

“I thought I did.”

Back out in the light of day, Five somehow looked worse than before. Simon winced as he realised that Five had actually damaged something through holding in that sneezing fit. There was actual blood mixed in with the snot dripping from Five’s nose, and he was sure that Five’s eyes weren’t quite so bloodshot before.

“I know where we are now! Come on, we can get back to Abel along this road.”

Five eyed Simon dubiously, but followed him along the street. He _ hoped _ he was right this time. Five probably needed to see Maxine.

\--

_ ‘Oh, good, I can see you on cameras again. And comms are back.’ _ Sam’s voice was a welcome sound as they left the dense Victorian terraces of New Zealand. The signal had been blocked by the buildings almost as soon as they reached the area, and Simon could imagine how much the young radio operator had been fretting over the loss.

“Miss us, Sammy boy?”

_ ‘I was _ worried_, Three. I wouldn’t have known if you got hurt, or lost, or split up, and I don’t have anyone to send after you.’ _

“You could always come and look yourself,” Simon quipped.

_ ‘Maxine has put a chain on the door. She’s really taking this quarantine seriously.’ _

“Wow. I hope she left you a bucket at least,” Five rasped.

_ ‘You sound awful, Five. And wow, you look absolutely terrible. Maybe I shouldn’t have sent you out after all. I could probably have convinced Jack to go instead…’ _

“Five’s perfectly fine, Sam. You couldn’t have given me a better partner for this run, honestly.” Simon was internally wincing at the idea of a run with Jack as a partner. He was a great bloke, but he did _ not _ cope well with being separated from Eugene.

_ ‘If you say so, Three. You’re doing well, you should make it to Abel within an hour at your current pace.’ _

“I don’t mind if you go ahead. I’m just slowing you down,” Five practically whispered. Simon could see that it took real effort to even speak that loud. He shook his head.

“No one’s going to _ die _ if they don’t get this stuff, they’ll just be miserable for a little bit longer.” Simon shrugged. “Are you trying to get rid of me, Five?”

Five’s head shook. Simon grinned back at the other Runner.

“You’re stuck with me, Five. I swear, even if I _ die _ I’ll come back, just to pester you.”


End file.
